Jay Leno officially granted conservatorship of wife Mavis amid her dementia diagnosis and ‘difficult period’

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Jay Leno has been officially granted conservatorship of his wife, Mavis Leno, who was diagnosed with dementia.

Mavis’ lawyer said she was “in agreement” with the conservatorship during a hearing at Los Angeles County Superior Court on Tuesday, People reports. Mavis added that she’s “receiving excellent care with her husband, Mr. Leno.”

“I think she’s in the least restrictive environment,” the judge agreed. “I think she’s in very good care with Mr. Leno.”

Jay Leno and his wife, Mavis, in Malibu, California. Getty Images
Jay Leno and his wife, Mavis, in Malibu, California. Getty Images

The judge then told Leno, 73, “everything you’re doing is right” and “I totally understand this is a difficult period.” He added that the TV personality is “fit” for the role.

The former “Tonight Show” host went on to note that he is in the process of estate planning and looking at his wife’s will.

Earlier this month, court documents revealed that Mavis, 77, “sometimes does not know her husband nor her date of birth” amid her health struggles. The statement, which was made by Mavis’ court-appointed attorney, Robert Ostrin, was filed in Los Angeles as an update to an earlier petition to allow Leno to be her conservator.

Additionally, the report explained that Mavis “has a lot of disorientation” and “will ruminate about her parents who have both passed and her mother who died about 20 years ago.”

Jay Leno and his wife, Mavis, in West Hollywood in April 2024. JAST / BACKGRID
Jay Leno and his wife, Mavis, in West Hollywood in April 2024. JAST / BACKGRID
“She’s fine. Everybody’s good, we’re doing well. [I] set up a will, in case something happens,” he said of Mavis. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
“She’s fine. Everybody’s good, we’re doing well. [I] set up a will, in case something happens,” he said of Mavis. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

“Based on my interaction with Mr. Leno, plus some research I have done, he seems to be a standup guy,” Ostrin said. “And his private persona matches the public persona he projects.”

In January, Leno told Daily Mail he had plans to set up her will. “She’s fine. Everybody’s good, we’re doing well,” the comedian said at the time. “[I] set up a will, in case something happens.”

The couple married in 1980 after meeting at the Comedy Store in the ’70s. They do not have any children.